On October 29, 2006, s/v Whisper left on a two and 1/2 year journey from Pasadena, MD through the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and the West Indies. Her crew consists of Hans Eriksson, Kristen Miller and KitKat.

21 January 2007

We've had an interesting time in Ft. Lauderdale over the past week and a half. We've spent the majority of our time running back and forth between Sailorman, West Marine and the boat working on various projects and getting a new (to us) SSB transceiver installed. On Thursday we pulled the anchor up and went for a sail on the ocean to make a practice run through the inlet in the daylight and to test out our self-steering at various points of sail. We were by far the smallest boat out there and our major obstacle was not the 4 foot northerly swells but the seemingly 8 foot waves put out by wakes of overtaking and passing mega-yachts. The 17th Street Bridge in Ft. Lauderdale.A cruise ship at dock in Ft. Lauderdale.

When we returned to our anchorage we were greeted by the Ft. Lauderdale Police--marine division, who informed us of the 24-hour anchoring restriction on the waterway in Ft. Lauderdale. We were prepared for them and Kristen waved a new law passed by Jeb Bush which overrules any anchoring restrictions for non-liveaboard boats. We then engaged in a lively discussions on semantics and, as usual, you can't argue with the police, so we moved the boat. On their behalf, they were just doing their job as their chief requires of them, and they were as agreeable as they could be in that situation. We are now staying at a mooring ball at Las Olas Municipal Marina where we have full use of showers, internet and an on-site laundromat. Luxury! (at a price, of course...).

It is unfortunate that Ft. Lauderdale is so unfriendly to cruising sailboats. It boasts that it is the "Boating Capital of the World," yet the marinas are all priced extremely high and there are only 10 mooring balls that cost $30 a night (most mooring balls along the east coast are $10-15 with $20 in Annapolis, although you can anchor as long as you want in Annapolis). The city itself is wonderful for any kind of boat because the saying is true "if you need something for your boat, and you can't find it in Ft. Lauderdale, then it doesn't exist." It is just a shame that the most useful city in terms of boating on the eastern seaboard also is the most inaccessible and most inhospitable city for all but the largest mega-yachts, powerboats and sportfishing boats.

All of our Ft. Lauderdale woes, however, will soon come to pass. We are leaving for the Bahamas on Monday morning at 1AM! Yes, just 14.5 hours from now! The winds are steadily shifting to the south right now and will blow from the southeast and then the south at 10-15 knots while we are out on the water. The seas are forecast to be 2-4 feet. From everything we've read, it appears to be ideal conditions for the crossing. Our first stop is Old Bahama Bay Marina in West End where we'll spend a night at the marina, check in with customs and then proceed onwards across to the deserted cays we've been looking forward to!

Hans pre-haircut, acting very nervous.

Hans mid-haircut.Post-haircut.Kristen at work sorting out all the spares on Whisper.

Key Lime Pie is the pride of Florida bakers; it is also Mandy Brown's (SnowDay co-captain) favorite dessert. On our way to Ft. Lauderdale with Snow Day, almost two weeks ago, we stopped in Lantana and all enjoyed the best Key Lime Pie in Florida (as featured in Bon Apetit magazine). Well, on Friday, we rented a car to make our final provisioning runs, and we just had to provision our stomaches with some more Key Lime Pie. Mandy, we thought of you...don't you wish you were going to the Abacos so you could have stayed with us in Ft. Lauderdale?

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The Log of Whisper in print

Do you love looking back at old blog postings but hate having to search through the archives? Do you tell your old Aunt Mildred all about the Log of Whisper but can't show her because she doesn't have a computer? Do you have insomnia and need a sleeping aid? Great news! The Log of Whisper is now available as a book! Buy your copy now!

The default version is a hardcover with a dust jacket. Both soft cover and hardcover image wrap versions are available. They are identical to the dust jacket version except they will not include the information on the inside flaps of the dust jacket.

About Whisper"s crew

Hans:Raised in Northern Sweden by fearless sailors and descended from a wooden boat builder, Hans spent more time as a kid skiing, fishing and terrorizing his younger sisters than sailing. After protecting the father land by serving as a medic/machine gunner in the highly ironic Swedish military, he was off to the United States for college where he met Kristen.

Kristen:Raised in land-locked Southern Vermont by a Brit and a Vermonter, Kristen sailed sunfishes at summer camp but spent most of her childhood playing in the snow in the winter and building forts and dams in the woods in the summer. After college, the allure of living on a boat in the tropics was much more appealing than 3 years of law school and the inevitable debt.

Walking along the waterfront in Stockholm in the summer of 2001, the two would-be voyagers hatched their plan and worked towards it until their departure in November of 2006.

Kit Kat:Reared in the backwoods of Northwestern Montana, Kit Kat had never seen the ocean until thrust down Whisper's companionway on October 23rd 2006. In spite of constant hunger, she has adapted remarkably well to the life of a boat cat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.You're so young. How can you afford doing this at your age? A.The simple answer is prioritizing. We were lucky to chose the cruising lifestyle before we graduated from college, so nearly every major decision was based on our future plans afloat. All of our purchases (and lack thereof), career decisions, location and lifestyle were aimed at saving money for a 2 year sabbatical from the "real world." Once we found ourselves in the right place (Washington, D.C.) and in the right jobs (Hans: photography, Kristen: paralegal), we started saving money by living well below our means.

Q. Don't you get sick of each other?A. 99.9 % of the time, no. Of course we have the occasional disagreement or misunderstanding but we're quite happy most of the time.

Q. Don't you think that you're going to get bored?A. No, not really. There's always something to do on the boat, or another place to go with new friends to meet.

Q. What about storms? Isn't it very dangerous?A. Try driving on the beltway at rush-hour! Sailing is very safe as long as you aren't on a schedule. Weather patterns are generally predictable, and we have the luxury of waiting for good weather before setting off on the next leg of our journey.

Q. What about Kit-Kat? How does she like the cruising life?A. Contrary to her occasional blog posts, she likes it just fine on the boat. When things get a bit bumpy she finds a safe spot to wedge herself. When we're at anchor, she has the run of the boat, and enjoys lying in the sun and stalking the seagulls. No... she hasn't fallen in the water yet.

Q. So, did you both grow up sailing?A. Not really. We both spent a couple of summers in our childhoods sailing on little dinghies, but nothing that would have prepared us for sailing a boat like Whisper. We learned through copious amounts of reading, and by trial and error on the Chesapeake Bay in the past two years. Lessons are for sissies!

Q. What will you do after cruising?A. We don't really know yet, although we both agree that having all this time will help us make a very deliberate decision about our future. Of course, if there are any "get rich quick" schemes out there send them our way!Update: Hans is starting medical school at Temple University in Philadelphia; Kristen is busy looking for work in Philadelphia and writing articles for sailing magainzes. Again, we're open to any and all "get rich quick" schemes!